Aliens Abducted My Parents and Now I Feel Kinda Left Out

Saw this back at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival.

Okay I get it, this is a children movie. Children movies are meant to be entertaining for young viewers to sit back and be in awe with something funny, fast paced and highly enjoyable. I understand. But "Aliens Abducted My Parents and Now I Feel Kinda Left Out" is one of the worst children films that I have seen.

The film suffers from a lack of charm as the characters, setting, and environment doesn't offer much to make the story creative or interesting in the slightest. The main story feels like it would work perfectly for Television either on Cartoon Network or Nickelodeon but the way it was written and it's direction doesn't make things better and very sloppy. Many of the performances were not good and the actors were trying their best but they seem to really struggle on trying their best. Most of the humor felt stale and the dialogue moments were really poor and felt forced as if the film was trying it's hardest to be in the TikTok eras. The special effects and costumes were poor as if they looked like something you would seeing from the early 2000s, the soundtrack was annoying, and the direction was all over the place.

Most of the characters were really uninteresting and if I had seen this a child, I may have been invested with them. I saw this online and I allowed my young siblings to see it since they enjoy watching science fiction stories. While he did enjoy some moments, he didn't seem to be able to fully grasp the film and did almost fall asleep halfway. That's really saying something. At the end, this is mainly for children and I understand this isn't a film for my demographic. I am sure many children might enjoy this film as there are characters and scenes they would like. But honestly, this was really really bad.

Rating: F.

I thought it was good. The acting, even from the lesser characters, was excellent - possibly partly the director having the skill to get good performances? Anyway, the direction was smooth and totally unclunky. You hardly noticed it, which is how it should be. You felt in safe hands the whole way, not having to worry when the next jarring misjudgement was coming.

The two leads were eye-poppingly perfect, not just in the main body of a scene, but also in the little side glances, the momentary expressions, that create realism.

The little brother was very good and believable, as were the parents - true-to-life, funny, loving and there when it counted. The nasty girl at school, and the lost father and mother, also couldn't be faulted.

Some moments could have been, and in some other films would have been, poorly done and disappointing, but here it was all carried through with clear-sighted aplomb. There were no bum notes.

Highly recommended.

The actors do the best they can with the poorly written dialogue and improbable disjointed plot.

The production values are surprisingly good.

Overall, most scenes are cringeworthy at best, with story development that seems full of missing parts.

Two main actors fall for each other but the moments that you would expect to see to understand this process are missing.

The protagonist who suffers from PTSD is treated like a one dimensional character something most of the characters have.

It was painful to watch this movie. If it could be re-edited with missing critical scenes added, it might improve dramatically.

"Aliens Abducted My Parents and I Feel Kinda Left Out" is a disappointing and poorly written kids movie that fails to deliver on all fronts. The story is predictable and lacks depth, with characters that are one-dimensional and uninteresting. The humor falls flat; not funny enough for adults but tried way too hard to be TikTok relevant for kids to grasp. The dialogue is stilted and unrealistic, adding to the overall sense of disconnection. The pacing is sluggish and fails to build any real tension or suspense. This movie is a forgettable and unsatisfying that is best left un-watched. Save your and your kids time.

Audience: Family

Rating (in my opinion): PG

This film delighted my family and I. The story and performances are adorable. Justin (Calvin) and Emma (Itsy) drew me in and gave solid performances. Well done you two. I found the main family to be endearing.

It made me laugh, cry a bit, and laugh some more. Funny, cute, and touching. My family was very entertained and kept guessing as to how it would end.

A lower budget film, but I didn't mind because I enjoyed the story and characters enough not to care.

Also, we recognized some areas in our home state of Utah. And recognized some familiar faces as well. Loved that.

Overall, I loved finding a wholesome family show we could all enjoy together. (Online viewing during Sundance Film Festival 2023). It's full of charm, innocent fun, and a bit of heart. I'm a fan. Watching it together with my family created a good memory for us.